Ohio electric contract ending: notices, fees and how to leave

Your contract either renews on its own, moves to a variable price, or drops you back to your utility. PUCO's rules say which one, and what notice you must get first. Find your row.

The renewal term cannot be longer than the first term. Month-to-month plans have none of these notices. "Back to your utility" means its price to compare, and our Ohio rates guide lists all six.

Usually 45 to 90 days before your end date, and the tool works out your own dates. Type your contract end date and cancel fee. It shows the window when each notice is due, and how many days you have left. If your notice never came, that is worth a call to the supplier and to PUCO.

1. 1
   Find your end date.

   It is on your contract and often on a bill message.

2. 2
   Find your cancel fee.

   It is in the contract. Type 0 if there is none.

3. 3
   Pick your contract type.

   Pick the closest one in the tool.

4. 4
   Read the dates.

   Mark them on your calendar.

Miss these dates and you may roll onto a new price you never picked, so the result also says what happens if you do nothing. It works out dates from the rules and does not read your contract. Your own contract and notices come first, and a rule can change. Nothing you type is sent or saved.

On the state's chart today the highest is $200, and your contract must name yours. A cancel fee, or early termination fee, is what a supplier charges if you leave before the end date. Ohio's rules require it to be in the contract, in plain words.

Three rules protect you from a cancel fee.

• Variable plans. A supplier of a variable rate must either give a formula for the price, or explain what moves it. If it only explains, it may not charge any cancel fee.
• Moving. You may leave without a penalty if you move outside the supplier's area, or into an area where it charges a different price.
• First 7 days. You can cancel with no fee within 7 days of the postmark date on your utility's confirmation notice.

A fixed deal with a fee can still cost more than you think. A $100 cancel fee is the same as paying 1¢ more per kWh on 10,000 kWh, so add it to the price when you compare. Test the total with our offer checker.

City and group programs are different. The Cincinnati program and the NOAC group near Toledo charge no fee to leave.

It is a price that can move up or down each month, in the way your contract says. In Ohio the contract must give either a formula built on public numbers, or a plain explanation of what moves the price and how often.

How high can a variable price go? Today the highest variable price on the Ohio chart is 33.37¢ per kWh. Set that against a price to compare of 10.19¢ at AEP Ohio or 11.26¢ at Toledo Edison. If a fixed deal turned variable, Ohio's rules now require a yearly notice that says so and points you to the state's chart.

Green plans can roll to a variable price too. Our green plans guide lists what to ask before you sign one.

Pick your next price before the end date, so the old deal never rolls over. Six steps, in order:

1. Find your end dateLook in your contract, a bill message or the notice. Mark it.
2. Compare pricesUse the state's chart, the plan finder on this page, and the price to compare on your bill.
3. Add up the new planAdd any monthly fee as cents per kWh. Check the term and the cancel fee.
4. Sign before the end dateA new supplier tells your utility. Service starts at your next meter read, so leave time.
5. Watch for the confirmationYour utility mails a notice. You have 7 days from its postmark to cancel.
6. Check the first billLook for the new supplier's price.

Do not cancel with your old supplier first and wait. If you have no new supplier when the old one ends, you go back to your utility's price. In Ohio that price may or may not match the rate other utility customers get. Your contract has a statement about this. Picking a new seller? Check it first with our supplier guide.

Your rates stay the same if your contract is sold, and your utility serves you if a supplier quits. Here is what the rules say.

Keep every contract and notice. Suppliers must keep their copies for at least two years after a contract ends.

Start with the supplier, then PUCO, then the state's watchdog for homes.

1. Call the supplierUse the toll-free number on your contract. Ask for the notice date and the fee in writing.
2. Call PUCO1-800-686-7826, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, or use its complaint form online.
3. Call the watchdogThe Ohio Consumers' Counsel helps homes at 1-877-742-5622.

Never sign at the door or on the phone before you have seen the price, the term and the cancel fee. Ask for them written, and keep a copy. If a renewal already pushed your bill up, our high bill guide shows how to spot it.